Russian Roulette is Not the Same Without a Gun
by Principessa the Ripper
Summary: Excellent," he all but purred, "Let's play hide and seek then, Princess." TYL!Belphegor/OFC Short-story
1. Chapter 1

**Opening Note: Right! So I'm completely aware that I should have updated Il Principe e la Principessa a long time ago, and I apologize for the long gap, but inspiration is at a stand still. I've got this plot that I want to follow but I can't go through with it right now because it can't just be jumped into. I've still got to get my OC to meet the rest of the Varia and that's where the problem comes in. I can write Bel superbly but everyone else, I'm at a standstill on. So, I'm gonna maybe have to re-watch the Ring Arc to get into the flow of that. And that's gonna take a while. So, to pass the time I decided to give you guys a short story. This will have about four or five more chapters and that's about it. Like I said, it's just to pass the time until I get a post up on my other story. So yeah, sorry for the delays. I just wanted to let you guys know I haven't given up completely! **

**Disclaimer: I wish I had my very own Bel, but sadly, I do not.  
**

Russian Roulette is Not the Same Without a Gun

"Let's play a love game"

Isabella twirled a knife in between her fingers and stared him down. "So you want to see if I can beat you on your own terms?" she inquired. The male that stood before her had a malicious grin on his face. It scared most but for some reason she found herself attracted to the smile. It was mesmerizing in more ways than one. She didn't know what it was about the look but she found it far from weird.

"Shishishi, that's the idea. Are you up to it? Or are you too chicken? You understand that your precious guns will be useless according to my rules." he grinned wider.

He was just egging her on -- daring her to say yes. And whilst usually Isabella would not have allowed herself to fall pray to his ridiculous games, she couldn't help but mule over this one. Belphegor doubted her skills; most in the Varia doubted her skills. It had been a shock when she had been promoted to assassin from the lackey job that she'd upheld for the past three years. She had thought that because of her sex she would be overlooked during her time spent in the Varia. But, that obviously was not the case. For reasons unknown and beyond her -- and just about everyone else -- she had been promoted around the time that Fran had joined the team; and by Xanxus no less.

That alone had been enough to set off the alarms in her head but so far she had seen no signs of foul play. Nine months had come and gone and it seemed that Xanxus had truly promoted her without the intentions of torturing or sneering down at her. He had seen and respected her abilities, apparently. An asshole he might have been but he knew talent when he saw it and he knew that it wasn't wise to just let talent rot. Since then, Isabella had settled quite comfortably -- or as comfortable as one could get -- in her new position. It was odd to be stepped all over one day and have people kissing your ass the next but she found that she quite liked it. Sure, she still wasn't getting respect from her respective assassins but it was enjoyable to have her former peers pissing themselves at the thought of angering her or, in turn, the Boss through her.

"I understand them and I'm more than willing comply," she stated ignoring the chuckle that was released from her blond counterpart in turn.

She wouldn't let him intimidate her. True, Belphegor was her senior by two years and had been in the Varia since he was sixteen whilst she had only been apart of the Varia since she was twenty, but she wouldn't let that get to her! She had to beat him! The intelligent Prince the Ripper was going down!

"Excellent," he all but purred, "Let's play hide and seek then, Princess." **[1]**

**Ending Note:**

**[1] I understand that normally Belphegor wouldn't regard someone he considered lowly beneath him with such a pet name but for the sake of simplicity let's just ignore this, alright?**

**Reviews are love, darlings. Tell me what you think!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"At this point I gotta choose, nothing to loose."

_The rules are simple. I am to give you a two minute start. During that duration of that time you may hide wherever you like. And if it so suits you, you may change your hiding place whenever you like. But if I find you and I beat you then the game is over. The only weapons you're allowed to use are the ones that I provided you with. Any attempts to use something otherwise will equal disqualification. And trust the Prince when he says this: being disqualified would be a lot more horrible than losing._

One minute and twenty-five seconds. That was how much time had passed since the game had begun. Isabella began to mule over the rules that she had been given as she ran throughout the Varia Castle. She hadn't the faintest clue where she was going to hide -- and she knew that she wouldn't figure out where that place was until she got there. She wasn't going to stop running until she ran out of time. She could outsmart Belphegor in this game. Sure, this was his turf and he was a master at hide and seek; she'd even heard a rumor that he had never lost a game, but she wasn't going to let that discourage her. She had a lot going for her. If she was able to beat him then that would mean she would receive the ultimate prize: respect. She wasn't going to let herself lose and be humiliated. She wasn't going to let everyone think that all their little petty notions they'd come up with about her because she was a female be proven true.

Soaring past a pack of men who were circled around something on a bulletin board Isabella paid them no mind as she made a sharp right and then a sharp left. She couldn't take any chances. One minute and three seconds. She was making sure that each time she was caught in sight of someone she made a handful of turns down various halls. There had been no rules against Belphegor asking anyone if they'd seen her. And though most people would have depend on their own hunting skills to locate whomever they were after the brunette would not have put it past him to force the information he wanted out of someone. That was just how this game worked. A hunter would use whatever means necessary to find their prey. This was his territory -- he could play however he liked. Making another left turn Isabella didn't slow down and instead began to speed up. She had forty-seven seconds left. She had to make sure that when time ran out she was in the vicinity of a place she could hide.

It wasn't the hiding that scared her after all but the waiting time.

_That_ was going to be the most terrifying part.

Making an abrupt right at another corner Isabella twirled around and nearly skidded into a wall when a person appeared out of nowhere. She cursed under her breath as she stopped to break her fall and turned around to peer at whomever the person was, her face blanching when she recognized them. 'No,' she couldn't help but think, 'It could've been anyone but you! Why is it you?!'

Superbi Squalo sneered at her before opening his mouth to shout some smart retort but Isabella quickly grabbed one of the knives from the pouch on her thigh and chucked it at him, then dashed off. The silver haired swordsman let out a yelp of surprise when the knife made contact with his cheek. Before he could even attempt to let out another shout the twenty-three year old female had already disappeared around another corner. He cursed and grabbed the knife out of a wall, staring down at it with a quizzical look on his face. A few seconds passed and Squalo clicked his tongue before tossing the knife and storming off.

Eighteen seconds, Isabella cursed again. That little scrimmage with Squalo had not only cost her precious time and a knife but had nearly given her location away. The man had the biggest mouth in the world and if she hadn't thrown something at him and scurried off then she was sure he would've yelled some loud obscurity and would have given away her direction to Belphegor before he had even began to look for her. It wouldn't have been that hard to figure out whom the silver haired man was addressing since she was the only person he called 'bitch' in the Varia. She rolled her green eyes at the thought. Just like the Boss and Belphegor, Squalo needed to learn some new insults. Repetitive words got annoying after a while.

Making another right she stopped and let out a deep breath before going over the time in her head. Two seconds, the time was up. Her eyes scanned the hall and stopped directly on the door in front of her. She hadn't the faintest clue what was inside there but she supposed she was about to find out. Lunging at the door she grabbed the knob and turned it before pulling the door open and jumping inside, making sure to silently close the door after her. It was pitch black inside and she quickly fished out a lighter in her pocket and ignited it. The sight that greeted her made her want to scream. A cleaning supply closet? Really? Keeping herself away from the wall so that she wouldn't be tempted to bash her head on it repeatedly the brunette considered her options. Belphegor _had_ said that she could change location at any time but that would've put her at a disadvantage. He could be near her or just turning the corner if she left the closet and that would had meant that she would have to fight him.

She still hadn't come up with a clear strategy as to give herself the upper hand and therefore she would have been screwing herself over. It wasn't like she could use her box weapon either since she didn't have her guns. Xanxus would have their heads if they so much as even threatened someone with the notion. The last time that had happened someone had nearly blown up the whole basement. And everyone knew that the Boss's wine collection was down there. Isabella hadn't heard about or seen the perpetrator since. That had been three months ago. No one knew what had happened to him but Xanxus and quite frankly, no one wanted to know either. Cursing again, Isabella went over her options in her head. True, leaving would have been stupid but staying in the closet would have been a dumb choice as well. She had no room in this place. If Belphegor were to open the door then it would've been game over automatically. At least if she left the closet and was caught she would have had more room to work with.

"Leave the closet it is then," she murmured before looking up at the door and pocketing her lighter. She scurried closer to it and put her ear to the wooden surface. She heard nothing outside; no foot steps, talking or creepy laughs. That had to have meant she was safe, right? Telling herself that it did, she slowly turned the knob before swinging the door open a few inches and poking her head out.

The words she heard next made her blanch.

"Shishishi, I've found you~!"

**Note: Reviews are love. I'm working on the next part right now~**


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